FORT COLLINS: As part of Larimer County Department of Natural Resources' month of celebrating public lands in September, we are excited to present Dr. James Hagadorn, the Tim & Kathryn Ryan Curator of Geology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, on Saturday, September 17 as he presents fascinating research findings on Larimer County's signature stone, Lyons Sandstone.

The free talk will be hosted at Larimer County Administrative Services Building, 200 W. Oak Street, in the Carter Lake Room, from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, September 17.

The Lyons Sandstone is the most used Colorado building stone—a distinction anchored in Larimer County, where pink slabs of this dune-borne rock have been mined for a century. Although we know much about the general origin, extent, history, and mining of the Lyons Sandstone, we know little about its geology. Its precise age, exactly how it formed, and how it relates to other ancient Rocky Mountain dune deposits are unknown.

Dr. Hagadorn’s research findings begin to answer these questions and, in the process, place these iconic outcrops into our larger-scale picture of earth's evolution. This research project was funded by Larimer County's Small Grants Program in 2021 to support Dr. Hagadorn and his team who utilized modern geologic techniques to better understand the land around us.

This program is free, but registration is required at offero.larimer.org/Calendar.  For more information, please visit larimer.gov/naturalresources.